Flier At Cleveland State University Encourages LGBTQ Students To Kill Themselves

The school is under fire for its lukewarm response to the inflammatory poster.

A free-speech debate has erupted at Cleveland State University after the school’s lukewarm response to the posting of a homophobic flier that encourages lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students to commit suicide.

“Prior approval needs to be provided before posters are added to that billboard,” Dube said.

If the flier had been put up following the correct protocol, it would not have been taken down, Dube told The Plain Dealer. “According to the legal framework related to free speech it would have been allowed,” he said.

In a letter to the school community on Monday, university President Ronald Berkman appeared to defend the flier, saying the school would “continue to protect free speech.”

Berkman wrote that while CSU was “fully committed to campus community that respects all individuals,” the school was also “committed to upholding the First Amendment, even with regard to controversial issues where opinion is divided,” according to BuzzFeed.

The university’s initial response to the flier was met with harsh criticism.

Facing widespread condemnation, Berkman issued another statement on Tuesday expressing “personal outrage” over the poster. He said the school would hold an open meeting the following day to address “concerns.”

But Berkman reiterated his remarks about the First Amendment, saying the “current legal framework regarding free speech makes it difficult to prevent these messages from being disseminated.”